Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Songwriter Johnny Mercer and music publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond established the Hall in 1969. As the website says, “To be nominated for induction…a songwriter must have been active for a minimum of 20 years and have written an extensive catalogue of hit songs. Once candidates are determined, ballots are sent to the members of the National Academy of Popular Music, which comprises songwriters and other music industry professionals.” Check out the alphabetical listing of inductees on the Songwriters Hall of Fame page or check out Wikipedia for a list of inductees and years of induction.

Also, check out these special awards given by the Songwriters Hall of Fame:

Here are the inductees into the Songwriters Hall of Fame from 1970 to 2017. Note: click on the name to see the act’s bio in Dave’s Music Database Music Maker Encyclopedia. Click on “SHOF Bio” to see the act’s bio at the Songwriters Hall of Fame website.

The Songwriters Hall of Fame also gives several special awards. The Sammy Cahn Award was given from 1980 to 2006 and again in 2012 “to individuals or teams who are recognized as having done a great deal to further the successes of songwriters.”

The Hal David Starlight Award was given from 2004 to 2012 to “gifted songwriters who are at an apex in their careers and are making a significant impact in the music industry via their original songs.”

The Johnny Mercer Award has been given from 1980 to 2011 to writers already inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame who have been determined by the nominating committee to have “established a history of outstanding creative works.”

The Howie Richmond Hitmaker Award was given from 1981 to 2009 for “artists or ‘star makers’ in the music industry who have been responsible for a substantial number of hit songs for an extended period of time.”

The Songwriters Friends isn’t an actual award given out by the Songwriters Hall of Fame, but an acknowledgement of the relationship between the songwriter and the singer. As it says on the website, “The artists listed in this section include the top recording artists of hit songs written by Hall of Fame inductees from the late 1800’s to present day. These artists are chart-topping performers who have all added something unique to the sound of American popular music.”

This honor appears to have been given only once (as opposed to annual Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees) although the website doesn’t indicate when.

Note: click on the name to see the act’s entry in Dave’s Music Databse Music Maker Encyclopedia. Click on “SHOF Bio” to see the act’s entry on the Songwriters Hall of Fame website.